SPECIES LIST FOR SPRING 2024 SHIPPING
Species List
(11 November 2023)
Offering. We ship bare root seedlings sealed in plastic bags. All our plants are certified as laboratory-propagated and unless otherwise specified are accompanied with complete instructions for care. The plantlets have been grown from seed in a sterile agar medium and are of proper size and development for establishing in pots or beds. The plants are small and usually produce shoots from 2 to 10 cm high the first year depending on the species. Such small plants are vulnerable to predators and to desiccation and need continual attention during their first year. All the species will be shipped, fully vernalized, in spring 2024.
All prices listed are in U.S. currency.
As long term visitors may notice, we have removed some items from our listing because of relatively low demand. Doing so allows us to focus more heavily on the sought-after species.
Cypripedium acaule. The stemless or pink lady's-slipper has a very large geographic range, from Maine to Georgia and northwest well into Alberta, Canada. The most important aspect of growing this species is to provide an extremely acid planting mix, pH 4.5 or less. We use a mix of half sand and half sphagnum peat and water using rainwater acidified with vinegar.
Cypripedium californicum. The California lady's-slipper
is endemic to a small area of northern California and southwestern Oregon.
The plant grows into large clumps with multiple flowers per stem.
We have had excellent success growing seedlings in a purely inorganic mix
of perlite and TurfaceŽ MVP and have had several plantlets bloom only
three years out of the flask. This species prefers fairly bright
conditions, and we grow it under 50% shade cloth. Zones 7-9, possibly
also Zone 6, and even Zone 5 with winter mulching. Under a heavy
straw mulch,
C. californicum has survived -42 F here in northern
Minnesota!
Cypripedium candidum. The
small white lady's-slipper. This species from the prairies of the
Midwestern U.S. enjoys bright sun in the spring but light dappled shade
during the heat of the summer. In the wild C. candidum grows
in moist, calcareous soils. In culture, the plant thrives with yearly
addition of horticultural lime to the planting mix to keep the pH above
neutral. The plants in the photo show some introgression of C.
parviflorum var. makasin as in the natural hybrid C.
Xandrewsii.
This year we offer seedlings of true C. candidum, which is slightly
smaller and has more greenish lateral petals than the plants in the photo.
Zones
3-5 and northern Zone 6.
Cypripedium guttatum. This native of Alaska and northern Asia requires very cool summertime growing conditions. In the lower 48 states, we recommend this species only for the northern tier of states, and then only where the maximum daytime temperature exceeds 80 F (27 C) for at most several hours at a time. Growing this plant outdoors also requires several months of below-freezing winter temperatures for proper vernalization. Where the climate is sufficiently cool, this species is easy to grow, but it is essentially impossible where the climate is too warm. This species appreciates morning and late afternoon sun but shade during the hot part of the day. Zones 2-4, and with special care the coolest parts of Zone 5.
Cypripedium kentuckiense.
The southern lady's-slipper. This very beautiful plant is the largest-flowered
of all the Cyps. Fortunately, it is also one of the easiest to grow. Although
the natural range of the plant is from Kentucky south to Louisiana, it
can be grown successfully outdoors as far north as Vermont, Wisconsin,
and even northern Minnesota with winter mulch. This species likes
a shady site in the south but prefers increasingly open conditions northward.
Zones 3-7.
Cypripedium parviflorum var. makasin.
The northern small-flowered yellow lady's-slipper. This is the same
plant we formerly called "var. parviflorum" following Cribb's (1997)
monograph, which lumped var. makasin into var. parviflorum.
We are now calling it "makasin" to be consistent with the World
Checklist of Selected Plant Families (http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/qsearch.do).
This is a relatively easy plant for a shady, moist woodland garden.
The plant prefers high open shade but tolerates direct sun in early morning
or late afternoon. As with the large-flowered yellow lady's-slipper,
the small variety also requires four months at near-freezing temperature
for proper vernalization, and so is not a good choice for climates with
warm winters. Although smaller, this plant is just as cold hardy
as Cyp. pubescens. Both the small- and large-flowered yellow
lady's-slipper will form large clumps when given favorable conditions in
cultivation. Zones 2-6.
Cypripedium parviflorum var.
pubescens. (Formerly
Cyp.
calceolus var. pubescens.) This is the large-flowered yellow
lady's-slipper. This plant is one of the easiest of all the lady's-slippers
to grow and thrives in woodland gardens with open shade. The plant requires
approximately four months at near-freezing temperature for proper vernalization,
and so is probably not a good candidate for climates with warm winters.
This plant can withstand harsh northern winters even when there is little
snow on the ground. This is the best plant for people inexperienced
in Cypripedium culture. As vigorous as this species is, the seedlings
are small and therefore must be protected from all the usual physical threats.
Zones 2-6.
Cypripedium
reginae. The queen's or showy
lady's-slipper. Large size, spectacular beauty, and relative ease of culture
combine to make this species one of the most desirable for the cool greenhouse
or bog garden. C. reginae is slower to leaf out in the spring than
other Cyp species, but vernalized seedlings usually produce first leaves
within three weeks after being placed in a warm, sunny location. We recommend
raising these seedlings in a greenhouse with approximately 50% shading
and at least 50% relative humidity for most of the day, but we have successfully
carried them through their first season in closed containers under grow
lights. In humid climates the seedlings may be planted outdoors if kept
very moist and protected from predators. This species cannot be shipped
during below-freezing conditions; shipping is timed when weather at both
our location and the destination is satisfactory. Zones 2-5.
Cypripedium reginae forma albolabium. White-flowered
queen's or showy lady's-slipper. These plants are identical to the
normally colored form but have blooms with a pure white lip. There
is no pink whatsoever. The flowers are guaranteed to be pure white
except for yellow spots on the staminode. If not, we will replace
your seedlings. Forma albolabium seems just as vigorous and
cold hardy as the normally colored plants. Zones 2-5.
Policies. We sell only laboratory-grown seedlings. All seedlings are shipped with complete instructions for planting out and care. Extremes of temperature are detrimental to seedlings of most Cyp species, and we consult Internet and other sources of weather information to time shipping to avoid hot summer weather or temperatures much below freezing. If you expect to be unable to receive your shipment promptly, please let us know what period to avoid shipping. Parcels of seedlings should be opened and the plantlets given appropriate care immediately upon receipt in accordance with the complete instructions enclosed with the plants.
Guarantee. Our seedlings are healthy and in good condition when shipped, and they are guaranteed to arrive in this condition. Because we have no control over cultural treatment, we cannot guarantee them after this point. If there is a problem with the condition of the seedlings when you receive them, please contact us within 48 hours.
We are always happy to answer cultural questions, so please contact us by e-mail (easiest) or by phone. Planting instructions for each species will be enclosed with the shipment.